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RINT  AND  CIRCULAR  SERIES 

OF  THE 

NATIONAL  RESEARCH 
COUNCIL 


THE  RELATION  OF  PURE  SCIENCE  TO 
INDUSTRIAL  RESEARCH 

BY  JOHN  J.  CARTY 
Vice  President,  American  Telephone  and  Telegraph  Company 


Published  in  Science 
October,  1916,  Vol.  44,  No.  1137,  Pages  511-518 


Announcement  Concerning  Publications 

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National  Research  Council 


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[Reprinted  from  SCIENCE,  N.  S. ,  Vol.  XLIV. , 
11S7,  Pages  511-518,  October  IS,  1916} 


THE  RELATION  OF  PURE  SCIENCE  TO 
INDUSTRIAL   RESEARCH  1 

IT  is  not  strange  that  many  years  ago 
Huxley,  with  his  remarkable  precision  of 
thought  and  his  admirable  command  of 
language,  should  have  indicated  his  dis- 
satisfaction with  the  terms  "pure  science" 
and  "applied  science,"  pointing  out  at  the 
same  time  that  what  people  call  "applied 
science"  is  nothing  but  the  application  of 
pure  science  to  particular  classes  of  prob- 
lems. The  terms  are  still  employed,  pos- 
sibly because,  after  all,  they  may  be  the 
best  ones  to  use,  or  perhaps  our  ideas,  to 
which  these  expressions  are  supposed  to 
conform,  have  not  yet  become  sufficiently 
definite  to  have  called  forth  the  right  words. 

It  is  not  the  purpose  of  this  address,  how- 
ever, to  suggest  better  words  or  expres- 
sions, but  rather  to  direct  attention  to  cer- 
tain important  relations  between  purely 
scientific  research  and  industrial  scientific 
research  which  are  not  yet  sufficiently 
understood. 

Because  of  the  stupendous  upheaval  of 
the  European  war  with  its.  startling 
agencies  of  destruction — the  product  of 
both  science  and  the  industries — and  be- 
cause of  the  deplorable  unpreparedness  of 
our  own  country  to  defend  itself  against 

i  President's  address  given  at  the  thirty-third 
annual  convention  of  the  American  Institute  of 
Electrical  Engineers. 


2 


attack,  there  has  begun  a  great  awakening 
of  our  people.  By  bringing  to  their  minds 
the  brilliant  achievements  of  the  member- 
ship of  this  institute  in  electric  lighting 
and  power  and  communications  and  by 
calling  their  attention  to  the  manifold 
achievements  of  the  members  of  our  sister 
societies  in  mechanical  and  mining  and  civil 
engineering,  and  the  accomplishments  of 
our  fellow-workers,  the  industrial  chemists, 
they  are  being  aroused  to  the  vital  impor- 
tance of  the  products  of  science  in  the  na- 
tional defense. 

Arising  out  of  this  agitation  comes  a 
growing  appreciation  of  the  importance  of 
industrial  scientific  research,  not  only  as  an 
aid  to  military  defense  but  as  an  essential 
part  of  every  industry  in  time  of  peace. 

Industrial  research,  conducted  in  accord- 
ance with  the  principles  of  science,  is  no 
new  thing  in  America.  The  department 
which  is  under  my  charge,  founded  nearly 
forty  years  ago  to  develop,  with  the  aid  of 
scientific  men,  the  telephone  art,  has  grown 
from  small  beginnings  with  but  a  few 
workers  to  a  great  institution  employing 
hundreds  of  scientists  and  engineers,  and 
it  is  generally  acknowledged  that  it  is 
largely  owing  to  the  industrial  research 
thus  conducted  that  the  telephone  achieve- 
ments and  developments  in  America  have 
so  greatly  exceeded  those  of  other  countries. 

With  the  development  of  electric  lighting 
and  electric  power  and  electric  traction 
which  came  after  the  invention  of  the  tele- 
phone, industrial  scientific  research  labo- 
ratories were  founded  by  some  of  the  larger 
electrical  manufacturing  concerns  and  these 
have  attained  a  world-wide  reputation. 


While  vast  sums  are  spent  annually  upon 
industrial  research  in  these  laboratories, 
I  can  say  with  authority  that  they  return 
to  the  industries  each  year  improvements  in 
the  art  which,  taken  all  together,  have  a 
value  many  times  greater  than  the  total 
cost  of  their  production.  Money  expended 
in  properly  directed  industrial  research, 
conducted  on  scientific  principles,  is  sure 
to  bring  to  the  industries  a  most  generous 
return. 

While  many  concerns  in  America  now 
have  well  organized  industrial  research 
laboratories,  particularly  those  engaged  in 
metallurgy  and  dependent  upon  chemical 
processes,  the  manufacturers  of  our  coun- 
try as  a  whole  have  not  yet  learned  of  the 
benefits  of  industrial  scientific  research  and 
how  to  avail  themselves  of  it. 

I  consider  that  it  is  the  high  duty  of  our 
institute  and  of  every  member  composing- 
it,  and  that  a  similar  duty  rests  upon  all 
other  engineering  and  scientific  bodies  in 
America,  to  impress  upon  the  manufac- 
turers of  the  United  States  the  wonderful 
possibilities  of  economies  in  their  processes, 
and  improvements  in  their  products  which 
are  opened  up  by  the  discoveries  in  science. 
The  way  to  realize  these  possibilities  i» 
through  the  medium  of  industrial  research 
conducted  in  accordance  with  scientific- 
principles.  Once  it  is  made  clear  to  our 
manufacturers  that  industrial  research 
pays,  they  will  be  sure  to  call  to  their  aid 
men  of  scientific  training  to  investigate 
their  technical  problems  and  to  improve 
their  processes.  Those  who  are  the  first 
to  avail  themselves  of  the  benefits  of  indus- 
trial research  will  obtain  such  a  lead  over 


their  competitors  that  we  may  look  forward 
to  the  time  when  the  advantages  of  indus- 
trial research  will  be  recognized  by  all. 

Industrial  scientific  research  departments 
can  reach  their  highest  development  in 
those  concerns  doing  the  largest  amount 
of  business.  While  instances  are  not  want- 
ing where  the  large  growth  of  the  institu- 
tion is  the  direct  result  of  the  care  which 
is  bestowed  upon  industrial  research  at  a 
time  when  it  was  but  a  small  concern, 
.  nevertheless  conditions  to-day  are  such  that 
without  cooperation  among  themselves  the 
small  concerns  can  not  have  the  full  benefits 
of  industrial  research,  for  no  one  among 
them  is  sufficiently  strong  to  maintain  the 
necessary  staff  and  laboratories.  Once  the 
vital  importance  of  this  subject  is  appre- 
ciated by  the  small  manufacturers  many 
solutions  of  the  problem  will  promptly  ap- 
pear. One  of  these  is  for  the  manufacturer 
to  take  his  problem  to  one  of  the  industrial 
research  laboratories  already  established 
for  the  purpose  of  serving  those  who  can 
not  afford  a  laboratory  of  their  own.  Other 
manufacturers  doing  the  same,  the  financial 
encouragement  received  would  enable  the 
laboratories  to  extend  and  improve  their 
facilities  so  that  each  of  the  small  manu- 
facturers who  patronizes  them  would  in 
course  of  time  have  the  benefit  of  an  insti- 
tution similar  to  those  maintained  by  our 
largest  industrial  concerns. 

Thus,  in  accordance  with  the  law  of 
supply  and  demand,  the  small  manufac- 
turer may  obtain  the  benefits  of  industrial 
research  in  the  highest  degree  and  the 
burden  upon  each  manufacturer  would  be 
only  in  accordance  with  the  use  he  made  of 


it,  and  the  entire  cost  of  the  laboratories 
would  thus  be  borne  by  the  industries  as  a 
whole,  where  the  charge  properly  belongs. 
Many  other  projects  are  now  being  con- 
sidered for  the  establishment  of  industrial 
research  laboratories  for  those  concerns 
which  can  not  afford  laboratories  of  their 
own,  and  in  some  of  these  cases  the  possible 
relation  of  these  laboratories  to  our  tech- 
nical and  engineering  schools  is  being  earn- 
estly studied. 

Until  the  manufacturers  themselves  are 
aroused  to  the  necessity  of  action  in  the 
matter  of  industrial  research  there  is  no 
plan  which  can  be  devised  that  will  result 
in  the  general  establishment  of  research 
laboratories  for  the  industries.  But  once 
their  need  is  felt  and  their  value  appreci- 
ated and  the  demand  for  research  facilities 
is  put  forth  by  the  manufacturers  them- 
selves, research  laboratories  will  spring  up 
in  all  our  great  centers  of  industrial  activ- 
ity. Their  number  and  character  and  size, 
and  their  method  of  operation  and  their 
relation  to  the  technical  and  engineering 
schools,  and  the  method  of  their  working 
with  the  different  industries,  are  all  mat- 
ters which  involve  many  interesting  prob- 
lems— problems  which  I  am  sure  will  be 
solved  as  they  present  themselves  and  when 
their  nature  has  been  clearly  apprehended. 

In  the  present  state  of  the  world's  devel- 
opment there  is  nothing  which  can  do  more 
to  advance  American  industries  than  the 
adoption  by  our  manufacturers  generally 
of  industrial  research  conducted  on  scien- 
tific principles.  I  am  sure  that  if  they  can 
be  made  to  appreciate  the  force  of  this  state- 
ment, our  manufacturers  will  rise  to  the 


G 


occasion  with  all  that  energy  and  enterprise 
so  characteristic  of  America, 

So  much  has  already  been  said  and  so 
much  remains  to  be  said  urging  upon  us  the 
importance  of  scientific  research  conducted 
for  the  sake  of  utility  and  for  increasing  the 
convenience  and  comfort  of  mankind,  that 
there  is  danger  of  losing  sight  of  another 
form  of  research  which  has  for  its  primary 
object  none  of  these  things.  I  refer  to  pure 
scientific  research. 

In  the  minds  of  many  there  is  confusion 
between  industrial  scientific  research  and 
this  purely  scientific  research,  particularly 
as  the  industrial  research  involves  the  use 
of  advanced  scientific  methods  and  calls  for 
the  highest  degree  of  scientific  attainment. 
The  confusion  is  worse  because  the  same 
scientific  principles  and  methods  of  inves- 
tigation are  frequently  employed  in  each 
case  and  even  the  subject-matter  under  in- 
vestigation may  sometimes  be  identical. 

The  misunderstanding  arises  from  con- 
sidering only  the  subject-matter  of  the  two 
classes  of  research.  The  distinction  is  to 
be  found  not  in  the  subject-matter  of  the 
research,  but  in  the  motive. 

The  electrical  engineer,  let  us  say,  find- 
ing a  new  and  unexplained  difficulty  in  the 
working  of  electric  lamps,  subjects  the  phe- 
nomenon observed  to  a  process  of  inquiry 
employing  scientific  methods,  with  a  view 
to  removing  from  the  lamps  an  objection- 
able characteristic.  The  pure  scientist  at 
the  same  time  investigates  in  precisely  the 
same  manner  the  same  phenomenon,  but 
with  the  purpose  of  obtaining  an  explana- 
tion of  a  physical  occurrence,  the  nature  of 
which  can  not  be  explained  by  known  facts. 


Although  these  two  researches  are  con- 
ducted in  exactly  the  same  manner,  the  one 
nevertheless  comes  under  the  head  of  indus- 
trial research  and  the  other  belongs  to  the 
domain  of  pure  science.  In  the  last  anal- 
ysis the  distinction  between  pure  scientific 
research  and  industrial  scientific  research 
is  one  of  motive.  Industrial  research  is  al- 
ways conducted  with  the  purpose  of  accom- 
plishing some  utilitarian  end.  Pure  scien- 
tific research  is  conducted  with  a  philo- 
sophic purpose,  for  the  discovery  of  truth, 
and  for  the  advancement  of  the  boundaries 
of  human  knowledge. 

The  investigator  in  pure  science  may  be 
likened  to  the  explorer  who  discovers  new 
continents  or  islands  or  hitherto  unknown 
territory.  He  is  continually  seeking  to  ex- 
tend the  boundaries  of  knowledge. 

The  investigator  in  industrial  research 
may  be  compared  to  the  pioneers  who 
survey  the  newly  discovered  territory  in  the 
endeavor  to  locate  its  mineral  resources, 
determine  the  extent  of  its  forests,  and  the 
location  of  its  arable  land,  and  who  in  other 
ways  precede  the  settlers  and  prepare  for 
their  occupation  of  the  new  country. 

The  work  of  the  pure  scientists  is  con- 
ducted without  any  utilitarian  motive,  for, 
as  Huxley  says,  "that  which  stirs  their 
pulses  is  the  love  of  knowledge  and  the  joy 
of  discovery  of  the  causes  of  things  sung 
by  the  old  poet — the  supreme  delight  of  ex- 
tending the  realm  of  law  and  order  ever 
farther  towards  the  unattainable  goals  of 
the  infinitely  great  and  the  infinitely  small, 
between  which  our  little  race  of  life  is 
run."  "While  a  single  discovery  in  pure 
science  when  considered  with  reference  to 


8 


any  particular  branch  of  industry  may  not 
appear  to  be  of  appreciable  benefit,  yet 
when  interpreted  by  the  industrial  scien- 
tist, with  whom  I  class  the  engineer  and  the 
industrial  chemist,  and  when  adapted  to 
practical  uses  by  them,  the  contributions 
of  pure  science  as  a  whole  become  of  incal- 
culable value  to  all  the  industries. 

I  do  not  say  this  because  a  new  incentive 
is  necessary  for  the  pure  scientist,  for  in 
him  there  must  be  some  of  the  divine  spark 
and  for  him  there  is  no  higher  motive  than 
the  search  for  the  truth  itself.  But  surely 
this  motive  must  be  intensified  by  the 
knowledge  that  when  the  search  is  re- 
warded there  is  sure  to  be  found,  sooner  or 
later,  in  the  truth  which  has  been  discov- 
ered, the  seeds  of  future  great  inventions 
which  will  increase  the  comfort  and  con- 
venience and  alleviate  the  sufferings  of 
mankind. 

By  all  who  study  the  subject,  it  will  be 
found  that  while  the  discoveries  of  the  pure 
scientist  are  of  the  greatest  importance  to 
the  higher  interests  of  mankind,  their  prac- 
tical benefits,  though  certain,  are  usually 
indirect,  intangible  or  remote.  Pure  scien- 
tific research  unlike  industrial  scientific  re- 
search can  not  support  itself  by  direct 
pecuniary  returns  from  its  discoveries. 

The  practical  benefits  which  may  be  im- 
mediately and  directly  traced  to  industrial 
research,  when  it  is  properly  conducted,  are 
so  great  that  when  their  importance  is 
more  generally  recognized  industrial  re- 
search will  not  lack  the  most  generous  en- 
couragement and  support.  Indeed,  unless 
industrial  research  abundantly  supports 
itself  it  will  have  failed  of  its  purpose. 


9 


But  who  is  to  support  the  researches  of 
the  pure  scientist,  and  who  is  to  furnish  him 
with  encouragement  and  assistance  to  pur- 
sue his  self-sacrificing  and  arduous  quest 
for  that  truth  which  is  certain  as  time  goes 
on  to  bring  in  its  train  so  many  blessings 
to  mankind?  Who  is  to  furnish  the  labo- 
ratories, the  funds  for  apparatus  and  for 
traveling  and  for  foreign  study  ? 

Because  of  the  extraordinary  practical 
results  which  have  been  attained  by  scien- 
tifically trained  men  working  in  the  indus- 
trial laboratories  and  because  of  the 
limited  and  narrow  conditions  under  which 
many  scientific  investigators  have  some- 
times been  compelled  to  work  in  univer- 
sities, it  has  been  suggested  that  perhaps 
the  theater  of  scientific  research  might  be 
shifted  from  the  university  to  the  great 
industrial  laboratories  which  have  already 
grown  up  or  to  the  even  greater  ones  which 
the  future  is  bound  to  bring  forth.  But  we 
can  dismiss  this  suggestion  as  being  un- 
worthy. 

Organizations  and  institutions  of  many 
kinds  are  engaged  in  pure  scientific  re- 
search and  they  should  receive  every  en- 
couragement, but  the  natural  home  of  pure 
science  and  of  pure  scientific  research  is  to 
be  found  in  the  university,  from  which  it 
can  not  pass.  It  is  a  high  function  of  the 
universities  to  make  advances  in  science, 
to  test  new  scientific  discoveries  and  to 
place  their  stamp  of  truth  upon  those  which 
are  found  to  be  pure.  In  this  way  only  can 
they  determine  what  shall  be  taught  as 
scientific  truth  to  those  who,  relying  upon 
their  authority,  come  to  them  for  knowledge 
and  believe  what  they  teach. 


10 


Instead  of  abdicating  in  their  favor,  may 
not  our  universities,  stimulated  by  the  won- 
derful achievements  of  these  industrial 
laboratories,  find  a  way  to  advance  the  con- 
duct of  their  own  pure  scientific  research, 
the  grand  responsibility  for  which  rests 
upon  them.  This  responsibility  should 
now  be  felt  more  heavily  than  ever  by  our 
American  universities,  not  only  because 
the  tragedy  of  the  great  war  has  caused  the 
destruction  of  European  institutions  of 
learning,  but  because  even  a  worse  thing 
has  happened.  So  great  have  been  the 
fatalities  of  the  war  that  the  universities 
of  the  old  world  hardly  dare  to  count  their 
dead. 

But  what  can  the  American  universities 
do,  for  they,  like  the  pure  scientists,  are 
not  engaged  in  a  lucrative  occupation. 
Universities  are  not  money-making  institu- 
tions, and  what  can  be  done  without  money  ? 

There  is  much  that  can  be  done  without 
money.  The  most  important  and  most  fun- 
damental factor  in  scientific  research  is  the 
mind  of  a  man  suitably  endowed  by  nature. 
Unless  the  scientific  investigator  has  the 
proper  genius  for  his  work,  no  amount  of 
financial  assistance,  no  apparatus  or  labo- 
ratories, however  complete,  and  no  foreign 
travel  and  study,  however  extensive,  will  en- 
able such  a  mind  to  discover  new  truths  or 
to  inspire  others  to  do  so.  Judgment  and 
appreciation  and  insight  into  character  on 
the  part  of  the  responsible  university 
authorities  must  be  applied  to  the  problem, 
so  that  when  the  man  with  the  required 
mental  attributes  does  appear  he  may  be 
appreciated  as  early  in  his  career  as  pos- 
sible. This  is  a  very  difficult  thing  to  do 


11 


indeed.  Any  one  can  recognize  such  a  man 
after  his  great  achievements  have  become 
known  to  all  the  world,  but  I  sometimes 
think  that  one  who  can  select  early  a  man 
who  has  within  him  the  making  of  the  scien- 
tific discoverer  must  have  been  himself 
fired  with  a  little  of  the  divine  spark.  Such 
surely  was  the  case  with  Sir  Humphry 
Davy,  himself  a  great  discoverer,  who, 
realizing  the  fundamental  importance  of 
the  man  in  scientific  discovery,  once  said 
that  Michael  Faraday,  whose  genius  he 
was  prompt  to  recognize,  constituted  his 
greatest  discovery. 

I  can  furnish  no  formula  for  the  identi- 
fication of  budding  genius  and  I  have  no 
ready-made  plan  to  lay  before  the  univer- 
sities for  the  advancement  of  pure  scien- 
tific research.  But  as  a  representative  of 
engineering  and  industrial  research,  having 
testified  to  the  great  value  of  pure  scientific 
research,  I  venture  to  suggest  that  the  uni- 
versity authorities  themselves  might  well 
consider  the  immense  debt  which  engineer- 
ing and  the  industries  and  transportation 
and  communications  and  commerce  owe  to 
pure  science,  and  to  express  the  hope  that 
the  importance  of  pure  scientific  research 
will  be  more  fully  appreciated  both  within 
the  university  and  without,  for  then  will 
come — and  then  only — that  sympathetic 
appreciation  and  generous  financial  sup- 
port so  much  needed  for  the  advancement 
of  pure  scientific  research  in  America. 

While  there  are  many  things — and  most 
important  things — which  the  universities 
can  do  to  aid  pure  science  without  the  em- 
ployment of  large  sums  of  money,  there 
are  nevertheless  a  great  many  things  re- 


12 


quired  in  the  conduct  of  pure  scientific  re- 
search which  can  be  done  only  with  the  aid 
of  money.  The  first  of  these  I  think  is  this : 

When  a  master  scientist  does  appear  and 
has  made  himself  known  by  his  discoveries, 
then  he  should  be  provided  with  all  of  the 
resources  and  facilities  and  assistants  that 
he  can  effectively  employ,  so  that  the  range 
of  his  genius  will  in  no  way  be  restricted 
for  the  want  of  anything  which  money  can 
provide. 

Every  reasonable  and  even  generous  pro- 
vision should  be  made  for  all  workers  in 
pure  science,  even  though  their  reputations 
have  not  yet  become  great  by  their  dis- 
coveries, for  it  should  be  remembered  that 
the  road  to  great  discoveries  is  long  and 
discouraging  and  that  for  one  great  achieve- 
ment in  science  we  must  expect  numberless 
failures. 

I  would  not  restrict  these  workers  in  pure 
science  to  our  great  universities,  for  I  be- 
lieve that  they  should  be  located  also  at  our 
technical  schools,  even  at  those  with  the 
most  practical  aims.  In  such  schools  the 
influence  of  a  discoverer  in  science  would 
serve  as  a  balance  to  the  practical  curric- 
ulum and  familiarize  the  student  with  the 
high  ideals  of  the  pure  scientist  and  with 
his  rigorous  methods  of  investigation. 
Furthermore,  the  time  has  come  when  our 
technical  schools  must  supply  in  largely 
increasing  numbers  men  thoroughly 
grounded  in  the  scientific  method  of  inves- 
tigation for  the  work  of  industrial  research. 

Even  the  engineering  student,  who  has 
no  thoughts  of  industrial  research,  will 
profit  by  his  association  with  the  work  of 
the  pure  scientist,  for  if  he  expects  ever  to 


13 


tread  the  higher  walks  of  the  engineering 
profession  he  must  be  qualified  to  investi- 
gate new  problems  in  engineering  and  de- 
vise methods  for  their  solution  and  for 
such  work  a  knowledge  of  the  logical  proc- 
esses of  the  pure  scientist  and  his  rigorous 
methods  of  analyzing  and  weighing  evi- 
dence in  his  scrupulous  search  for  the 
truth  will  be  of  the  greatest  value. 

Furthermore,    the    engineering    student 
should  be  taught  to  appreciate  the  ultimate 
great  practical  importance  of  the  results 
of  pure  scientific  investigation  and  to  real- 
ize that  pure  science  furnishes  to  engineer- 
ing the  raw  material,  so  to  speak,  which  he 
must  work  into  useful  forms.    He  should  be 
taught  that   after   graduation   it   will  be 
most  helpful  to  him  and  even  necessary,  if 
he  is  to  be  a  leader,  to  watch  with  care  the 
work  of  the  pure  scientist  and  to  scrutinize 
the  reports  of  new  scientific  discoveries  to 
see  what  they  may  contain  that  can  be  ap- 
plied to  useful  purposes  and  more  particu- 
larly to  problems  of  his  own  which  require 
solution.     There  are  many  unsolved  prob- 
lems in  applied  science,  to-day,  which  are 
insoluble  in  the  present  state  of  our  knowl- 
edge, but  I  am  sure  that  in  the  future,  as 
has  so  often  happened  in  the  past,  these 
problems  will  find  a  ready  solution  in  the 
light  of  pure  scientific  discoveries  yet  to  be 
made.     When  thus  regarded  the  work  of 
the  pure  scientist  should  be  followed  with 
most  intense  interest  by  all  of  those  en- 
gaged in  the  application  of  science  to  in- 
dustrial  purposes.     Acquaintance,    there- 
fore with  the  pure  scientist,  with  his  meth- 
ods and  results,  is  of  great  importance  to 
the  student  of  applied  science.     I  believe 
that  there  is  need  of  a  better  understand- 


14 


ing  of  the  relations  between  the  pure  scien- 
tist and  the  applied  scientist  and  that  this 
understanding  would  be  greatly  helped  by 
a  closer  association  between  the  pure  scien- 
tist and  the  students  in  the  technical 
schools. 

While  I  have  drawn  a  valid  distinction 
between  the  work  of  the  two,  they  never- 
theless have  much  in  common.  Both  are 
concerned  with  the  truth  of  things,  one  to 
discover  new  truths  and  the  other  to  apply 
these  truths  to  the  uses  of  man.  While  the 
object  of  the  engineer  is  to  produce  from 
scientific  discoveries  useful  results,  these 
results  are  for  the  benefit  of  others.  They 
are  dedicated  to  the  use  of  mankind  and, 
as  is  the  case  with  the  pure  scientist,  they 
should  not  be  confused  with  the  pecuniary 
compensation  which  the  engineer  himself 
may  receive  for  his  work  for  this  compen- 
sation is  slight,  often  infinitesimally  so, 
compared  with  the  great  benefits  received 
by  others.  Like  the  worker  in  pure  science, 
the  engineer  finds  inspiration  in  the  desire 
for  achievement  and  his  real  reward  is 
found  in  the  knowledge  of  the  benefits 
which  others  receive  from  his  work. 

There  are  many  other  things  which 
might  be  discussed  concerning  the  conduct 
of  pure  scientific  research  in  our  universi- 
ties and  technical  schools,  but  enough  has 
been  said  to  make  it  plain  that  I  believe 
su«h  work  should  be  greatly  extended  in 
all  of  our  American  universities  and  tech- 
nical institutions.  But  where  are  the  uni- 
versities to  obtain  the  money  necessary  for 
the  carrying  out  of  a  grand  scheme  of  sci- 
entific research?  It  should  come  from 
those  generous  and  public-spirited  men  and 
women  who  desire  to  dispose  of  their 


15 


wealth  in  a  manner  well  calculated  to  ad- 
vance the  welfare  of  mankind,  and  it 
should  come  from  the  industries  them- 
selves, which  owe  such  a  heavy  debt  to  sci- 
ence. While  it  can  not  be  shown  that  the 
contribution  of  any  one  manufacturer  or 
corporation  to  a  particular  purely  scien- 
tific research  will  bring  any  return  to  the 
contributor  or  to  others,  it  is  certain  that 
contributions  by  the  manufacturers  in  gen- 
eral and  by  the  industrial  corporations  to 
pure  scientific  research,  as  a  whole,  will  in 
the  long  run  bring  manifold  returns 
through  the  medium  of  industrial  research 
conducted  in  the  rich  and  virgin  territory 
discovered  by  the  scientific  explorer. 

It  was  Michael  Faraday,  one  of  the 
greatest  of  the  workers  in  pure  science, 
who  in  the  last  century  discovered  the 
principle  of  the  dynamo  electric  machine. 
Without  a  knowledge  of  this  principle  dis- 
covered by  Faraday  the  whole  art  of  elec- 
trical engineering  as  we  know  it  to-day 
could  not  exist  and  civilization  would  have 
been  deprived  of  those  inestimable  benefits 
which  have  resulted  from  the  work  of  the 
members  of  this  institute. 

Not  only  Faraday  in  England,  but 
Joseph  Henry  in  our  own  country  and 
scores  of  other  workers  in  pure  science  have 
laid  the  foundations  upon  which  the  elec- 
trical engineer  has  reared  such  a  magnifi- 
cent structure. 

What  is  true  of  the  electrical  art  is  also 
true  of  all  the  other  arts  and  applied  sci- 
ences. They  are  all  based  upon  fundamen- 
tal discoveries  made  by  workers  in  pure 
science,  who  were  seeking  only  to  discover 
the  laws  of  nature  and  extend  the  realm  of 
human  knowledge. 


16 


By  every  means  in  our  power,  therefore, 
let  us  show  our  appreciation  of  pure  sci- 
ence and  let  us  forward  the  work  of  the 
pure  scientists,  for  they  are  the  advance 
guard  of  civilization.  They  point  the  way 
which  we  must  follow.  Let  us  arouse  the 
people  of  our  country  to  the  wonderful 
possibilities  of  scientific  discovery  and  to 
the  responsibility  to  support  it  which  rests 
upon  them  and  I  am  sure  that  they  will 
respond  generously  and  effectively.  Then 
I  am  confident  that  in  the  future  the  mem- 
bers of  this  institute,  together  with  their 
colleagues  in  all  of  the  other  branches  of 
engineering  and  applied  science,  as  well  as 
the  physician  and  surgeon,  by  utilizing  the 
discoveries  of  pure  science  yet  to  be  made, 
will  develop  without  number  marvelous  new 
agencies  for  the  comfort  and  convenience 
of  man  and  for  the  alleviation  of  human 
suffering.  These,  gentlemen,  are  some  of 
the  considerations  which  have  led  me  here 
in  my  presidential  address  to  urge  upon 
you  the  importance  of  a  proper  under- 
standing of  the  relations  between  pure  sci- 
ence and  industrial  research. 

J.  J.  CABTY 


Bulletin  of  the  National  Research  Council 


Volume  i 


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